I posted last week about how I don’t like to be pitied and I don’t like to be treated ‘special’ - which is true. BUT once in a blue moon (and I promise it’s extremely rare) I have tried to play the ‘disabled card’ to benefit myself. Like, it’s happened so rarely I don’t even remember another incident that stands out, but I’m sure there may have been another occasion.
Anyway…
I’ve been driving for almost thirty years (oh my God, I’m old!) and I’ve been pulled over exactly three times. Once was in Baldwin near my house when I first got my license. Thanks to small town relations, I was quickly let go.
The second time was in a drug bust related situation where I was surrounded by five undercover cars and what felt like half the DEA who were totally disappointed when they realized it was me and not whoever they were actually hoping to find in the car. For me it was super exhilarating and made for a great story to tell in the future.
The third time was last year in Gilbert, Arizona. I was pulled over for speeding while driving home from a doctor’s appointment with my son.
In my defense, there was no way for me to know that the max speed had changed other than the officer rolling up behind me with his lights on - or possibly from reading one of the posted speed signs we passed. Whatever, that’s not the point.
So this officer stops us and I was nervous because I hadn't been pulled over since the great drug heist of ’96 but I was pretty confident I would be fine. He asked for my information, and I tried to play it cool. Then in an exaggerated gesture made a big deal of having my son get out of his seat to get my pocketbook off of my WHEELCHAIR (ahem, officer, ya heard?)
He looked at me for a second like he was trying to decide if he should just let me go or do his job. I looked back at him with wide eyes trying to signal he could end it right there - it was cool, I won’t tell anyone. But he took my information and went back to his car.
He returned with his citation pad and I looked at him like, ‘are we really doing this, bro?’ and then he WROTE ME A TICKET! I was APPALLED! Was this guy not getting that I was disabled and he should just let me go? NO! He was doing exactly what I always told everyone to do - he was treating me like everyone else. What the hell?
The nerve of that guy - doing his job like he was taught. I mean, really, of all the times NOT to get special treatment! How dare he? But really, he should get some kind of award because from what I’ve heard from some other disabled folk around here - that’s far from the norm.
Another moment where I was being a total hypocrite and karma was like, ‘I’m back, bitch.’ Lesson learned. If you feel a certain way, it should be applied to all situations, even the ones that don’t benefit you at all.
BOOOOO
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